STEVENS POINT – On Aug. 14 the WIAA Board of Control unanimously approved scheduling dates and other changes to the upcoming 2020-21 school year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previously in July during a special meeting, the WIAA separated fall sports into two categories: Low-risk and high-risk. The low-risk sports (cross country, swimming and girls golf) would begin practices Aug. 17, while high-risk sports (football, volleyball, boys soccer) would begin practice Sept. 7.

At the Aug. meeting, those dates did not change, however, final season dates were approved – as were start and end dates for winter, spring and the alternate fall season which will take place in early 2021. Of note, the winter and spring seasons had the total number of weeks allowed for competition reduced, as did both options for fall sports.

For football, the 2020 season will run Sept. 7 to the week of Nov. 16, with a maximum of nine games to be played, which include two weeks of postseason play. Boys soccer and volleyball would run through the week of Nov. 2. Cross country would end the week of Oct. 26 and girls golf would culminate the week of Oct. 12.

Alternate plans for fall sports would begin as early as Feb. 1, 2021 and as late as March 22, and would conclude in April and May. The possibility exists for a maximum of five weeks of coinciding alternate fall and winter sports happening at once, with girls swimming eating away at much of that time and girls volleyball matching up for three weeks.

The alternate fall and spring sports season would run simultaneously for up to eight weeks for girls golfers, but just one week for swimming. Football would coincide with boys track, baseball and golf for six weeks. The WIAA said it is up to each school to determine how many sports an athlete can play at one time.

Winter sports would begin with practices starting either Nov. 9 or Nov. 15, and all seasons ending prior to March 1, with the exception of boys basketball, which would run through the first week March.

Regularly scheduled spring sports would begin either the last week in March or the opening weeks of April and conclude at the end of June.

In all seasons, schools will be allowed to schedule games through the final week, meaning, if a team is knocked out of the postseason, the school could still find another opportunity or more to play extra games.

Schools can opt their fall sports to the spring prior to the start of the season, or if less than 50% of its season has been played in the case of a local COVID-19 outbreak. Football would be the exception with a prorated process, with a maximum of seven games played between the two options. While there will be a two-week postseason for football in the fall option, the spring option will have no such culminating event.

The WIAA also gave schools one-year exemptions to change or add co-ops because of the pandemic. Also gaining an exemption is allowing a school to schedule contests with a different conference without penalty. This means Monroe’s plans to move to the Rock Valley from the Badger Conference for the upcoming school year would be allowed if both the Rock Valley and the Badger schools approve. While the Rock Valley approved the measure, the Badger Conference has not approved, meaning Monroe will remain in the Badger.

More information, plus local reaction to the WIAA’s decision will be available in the Aug. 19 edition of the Monroe Times.